Poland’s newest pet food brand, Frens, plans to launch a range of hypoallergenic dog food products based on vegetables and insect proteins, aiming to bring a trend that is gaining popularity in Western Europe to the Polish market.
“The pet food market in Poland is expanding rapidly … [as] it rises by about 15 to 20% per year,” said Patryk Paluszek, the brand’s founder. “The segment that is expanding the most is luxury and premium pet food. The market easily absorbs all sorts of hypoallergenic products that have quality ingredients.”
Paluszek told Petfoodindustry.com in late January that the producer planned to launch sales in the Polish market in about four months. “Our product offer will include a snack made of sweet potatoes and insects, personalized wet pet food, as well as easily digestible dry pet food,” he said. “The pet food will be produced in Poland. We will produce the snack on our own at our facility, while production of our dry and wet pet food products will be outsourced to an outside production facility.”
Pet food exports, cat food on the horizon
Asked whether Frens was considering expansion with its products to other markets, Paluszek said the brand was making efforts to launch export sales at the same time it is entering the Polish market. “We will launch foreign sales immediately, and our products will be available for purchase on our website and also on Amazon,” Paluszek said.
Following the launch of a product range intended for dogs, future plans for the pet food producer include introducing pet food products for cats.
Growing pet food and pet ownership market
In 2017, Poland’s pet food market was worth an estimated PLN 3.25 billion (US$845 million), according to data from international market research consultancy Euromonitor International obtained by local trade magazine Rynek Zoologiczny.
The Brussels-based European Pet Food Industry Association (FEDIAF) estimates that in 2018, Poland’s dog population was 7.6 million and the country’s cat population was 6.4 million. As much as 42% of Polish households own at least one dog and 32% own at least one cat, according to figures released by the FEDIAF.